1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to heat exchangers and more particularly to a seal surrounding the heat exchanger which prevents warm air from passing around the heat exchanger and mechanically isolates the heat exchanger within a plastic housing.
2. Background Information
Heat exchangers in the automotive industry, such as evaporators, generally are mounted in a casing within the passenger space or cabin of the motor vehicle. Typically, a seal surrounds the heat exchanger core to prevent warm air from passing around the heat exchanger which could produce condensation within the casing. Activation of the air conditioning system could force this condensation into the passenger space of the vehicle. Obviously, this is an undesirable result and many methods have been proposed to provide better sealing around the heat exchanger core to prevent the occurrence or formation of condensation around the heat exchanger core. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,288 discloses one such seal for surrounding the radiator of an automotive vehicle, the seal comprising an open loop of closed foamed cell material which is adhesively mounted to the sides of the radiator prior to the radiator being,installed into a casing. However, this type of design can be subject to many deleterious effects, such as incorrect or misaligned installation, an incorrect amount of adhesive can be used causing leakage around the seal or forming water pockets, or the adhesive can loosen because of the moisture buildup within the casing and thus the overall purpose and effect of the seal is destroyed.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a sealing apparatus for a heat exchanger which does not rely upon the use of adhesives to secure the seal to the heat exchanger core and which provides sufficient sealing of the heat exchanger core in the housing to prevent warm air from passing therearound and ultimately producing condensation.